How an E-Mountain Bike Saved My Commute in Winter Storm Avery

When local forecasters called for 1 to 3 inches of snow on Thursday, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley went to work anyway. As that prediction soon turned to 6 inches, the Valley attempted to drive home.

It went badly for everyone but me, because rather than running my 2006 Honda Accord out of gas on a snowy and gridlock-ridden interstate, I borrowed the BMC Trailfox AMP Two from the Bicycling office and turned the world into my own slushy bike lane.

The snow began falling from the sky around noon. As the light dusting of the parking lot and roads started to turn into a something more serious, that’s when half theoffice made a break for it. Those who left after 1 p.m. spent as long as six hours on the road, dodging a burning car and a displaced camel as our highways became parking lots. Those who took back roads found jackknifed trucks and stuck vehicles; some simply returned to the office after hours of navigating.

Around 4 p.m., my colleague Matt took the Trailfox AMP Two out for some laps in the parking lot to learn if it was snow-worthy. He skidded, fell, and had snowballs thrown at him. We decided that, yes, the $7,499 e-mountain bike could handle several inches of snow.

Matt demonstrates exquisite bike handling as the snow falls.

Dan Roe

At 4:45, I peered out the window to see a long line of cars waiting to merge onto a hopelessly stagnant on-ramp and realized that riding the Trailfox home didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Another colleague, Pat, had been on the same on-ramp for more than two hours, and as the snow turned to sleet, the opportunity to leave the office was fading into dusk.

I donned my Troy Lee Designs full-face helmet, hoping I wouldn’t need it, and fitted a Lupine Piko headlamp to the top for visibility. Those who stayed erected a couch fort and vowed to finish the whiskey stores before tearing into one another—or so I assumed because I didn’t stick around.

Especially in the snow, you can ride an e-mountain bike as you would a motocross bike: Slam the dropper post, kick the e-assist into “Boost” mode, and let the Shimano STePS E8000 motor propel you across the frozen landscape with minimal pedaling. Put a foot down during frequent front-wheel slides, regain balance, and revert to a faster-than-thou grin.

The BMC Trailfox AMP Two, looking nonplussed.

Dan Roe

The Trailfox weighs 54 pounds, which helped with traction as I turned out of the office. An unmoving parade of cars stood atop two inches of packed-down snow, waiting for the on-ramp to I-78, unaware that it was closed ahead. Sleet blew into my face as I pedaled down the center line between stopped cars, eventually arriving at a 500-foot hill that was closed to vehicle traffic.

Nothing was closed to me, so I raised the saddle and powered up the hill as if the Shimano motor wasn’t doing most of the work. I passed a couple of semi trucks that went to sleep in the ditch for the night and hoped their drivers hadn’t done the same.

Save time. Save money. Most days.

Dan Roe

The road reopened at the top of the hill, but the downhill lane hadn’t been plowed for hours. Snow banks and a continuous slush pile in the center line made room for a single, narrow path. I skidded and shimmied as I shared the descent with drivers. “Don’t fall, don’t fall, please you idiot don’t fall,” I thought as cars tailgated me at 20 mph. The road eventually flattened and widened, and the drivers went around, but the nerves put a damper on my smug confidence.

Six miles and 45 minutes later, I arrived at home. My fingertips were freezing, which is why I don’t have any midride photos to share. After regaining dexterity, I checked on my coworkers. Pat had, at that point, been on the road for four hours in a bid to finish his six-mile commute. Another colleague’s journey, normally 15 minutes, took three hours and 45 minutes.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

The Lehigh Valley awoke to sunny skies and mostly clear roads on Friday, including that wretched hill from Thursday night. I climbed it with a dying battery, savoring the road salt that shot up into my mouth and hoping I’d make it to the office before having to pedal the behemoth by myself. E-mountain bikes make you look very fit until the battery runs out.

Bartering with the bike gods for more battery life.

Dan Roe

The battery held, and I coasted into theparking lot with a stinging-cold, sopping-wet butt. Ignoring my discomfort, I thought that there should have been some grand lesson in putting cars to shame.

In my case, there isn’t, because most days in rural Pennsylvania, a car will deliver you faster and drier than a $7,499 e-mountain bike. But when the roads turned a bit whiter than expected and five-mile drives became five-hour slogs, having the BMC Trailfox AMP Two on hand was mighty convenient.

Dan RoeTest EditorA former Division 1 runner, Dan grew up riding fixies and mountain bikes and now reviews everything from performance running shoes to road and cross bikes, to the latest tech for runners and cyclists at Bicycling and Runner’s World.

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